Making Spirits Bright
by WithTheGrain
Summary: Abby struggles to find the spirit of Christmas which concerns Gibbs and the team. Written for the Gibbs/Abby Shippers Forum 2013 Secret Santa exchange.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: NCIS and its characters are the property of Belisarius Productions and CBS. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Title: Making Spirits Bright**

Rating: M

Pairing: First time Gibbs/Abby

Category: Romance/friendship/angst

**A/N:** Written for the Gibbs/Abby Shippers Forum 2013 Secret Santa exchange for Ceggle143.

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The NCIS forensic lab was festooned with every sort of Christmas decoration. Lights, garland, tinsel, and a life-size animated Santa Clause that welcomed every visitor with a jolly ho-ho-ho. On a small table was a delightful miniature Christmas village with lighted shops and small skating pond, all covered with sparkling decorative snow. One week into December, Abby had been bitten by the Christmas spirit, taking any spare moment to put up decorations, adding something more every day, her lab capturing the atmosphere of the holiday in ways unseen before. It was her second most favorite time of the year and her work area certainly made that obvious.

Each day with her arrival, holiday music started playing as soon as the lights were flicked on and Abby often bounced happily from one piece of equipment to the next as she ran tests and attained results. Visitors to the lab were offered colorful sugar-sprinkled cookies or eggnog or peppermint flavored hot cocoa. She loved sharing the happiness with her co-workers and it certainly helped change the mood in the entire building.

But on this particular morning, just two days before Christmas, there was a change in the atmosphere and Abby's cheerful demeanor started to shift. The lights still twinkled and the music still blared, giving no real indication of what was really taking place. But Abby wasn't feeling quite the same because the case she was working on led straight into a heated discussion with Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs.

"The results show that Corporal Angela Canton did not commit the murder," Abby stressed adamantly, sitting in her chair looking up at the lead agent.

"It doesn't prove she wasn't involved, Abby," Gibbs stated from where he stood three feet away.

"But she's not a murderer. She shouldn't be in jail."

"She's right where she should be for now. You want her out of jail, find me more evidence that proves without a doubt that she wasn't involved."

"Believe me, I'm working on it," Abby replied, spinning back towards her computer. "And you better be prepared to release her pretty quick."

For a few silent seconds, Gibbs watched Abby punch the keys on her keyboard extra hard before he stepped up beside her, his arm grazing her shoulder. "Why the concern for this Marine?" he asked in a gentler tone.

His sudden closeness into her personal space, the intentional brush of his arm, and his low warm tone sent a gathering of butterflies rushing through her insides. It was never easy to be upset with Gibbs because of her attraction to him, but this time she was going to stand her ground on her confidence regarding Corporal Canton.

Abby pointed to a small photo that leaned upright against a glass jar near her monitor. "Eight days ago she was in the Afghan desert carrying out her duties but she was granted two weeks leave to spend Christmas with her family." The picture was of three very small children. "The youngest is Baby Chrissy, she's just one year old. Then there's Logan, who's three, and Carter is five. Their mom should not be in jail. She should be with her children, giving them all the love and joy they deserve."

Gibbs felt a tightening in his chest. He knew Corporal Canton had three children, but now for the first time, he was seeing their faces, hearing their names. "I'll do what I can," he said softly, and turned to leave. "It would help if she'd give us some straight answers, though."

"It would help if she wasn't in jail," Abby replied but Gibbs was already gone and the music drowned out her words.

Later that day…

Special Agent Tim McGee stepped off the elevator expecting to hear holiday music filtering down the hall from Abby's lab, but all was quiet just before Fred, the custodian, hustled from the scientist's domain rolling a large garbage can ahead of him while pulling another one behind. Both cans were filled to overflowing with glittering Christmas decorations.

Pressing his back against the wall, Tim made room for Fred to pass, but the janitor paused and addressed the Special Agent. "You better turn around and go back to your desk, Agent McGee. She's not feeling the Christmas spirit anymore."

Fred hurried on his way, leaving Tim to frown after him before he continued on apprehensively towards the lab. Walking through the door, the entire area was dimly lit and there was no evidence at all that Christmas was just around the corner. It was a stunning contrast to just eight hours ago when lights had danced and music had lifted the mood of every co-worker that wandered in.

Tim couldn't see Abby, so he called out for her. "Abby? Where are you?" When she unexpectedly rose from behind her workstation, it gave him a jolt. "What's going on? Why did you take down all the decorations?" he asked, confused.

Turning her back to him, she walked into the next room and sat behind her desk. "What do you want, McGee?" Her voice was joyless.

Tim followed behind her and stopped just a few feet away. "Answer my questions."

"Don't want to. I don't feel like it."

Suddenly it seemed like he had entered a different Abby-universe. One that was dreary and sad. "Did you get the DNA results from the bloody knife we found in Corporal Canton's car?"

"Not yet."

McGee shifted uneasily on his feet, sensing she was ready to bite someone's head off. "Tony, Ziva, and I are going out for drinks after work. You want to join us?"

"Nope."

"Abby…" he spoke softly in a soothing tone. "You want to talk about it?"

"Just leave, McGee. I want to be alone."

With a shrug and a frown, Tim returned to the bullpen. "No DNA results yet, Boss," he reported, sitting behind his desk. "And something weird is going on with Abby."

Gibbs, Tony, and Ziva all looked up at him, but Tim had his head down, filling out a report. "Explain, McVague," DiNozzo snapped.

McGee still didn't look up but responded, "She took down all of her Christmas decorations. There's no music, no cookies, and she's sitting in the dark."

"That is very strange," Ziva agreed.

"Did you invite her to have drinks with us?" Tony asked.

Finally lifting his gaze, Tim noticed everyone's intense concern but then Gibbs quickly went back to reading the file on his desk. "Said she wanted to be alone," Tim replied before looking directly at Gibbs. "You know what's going on, Boss?"

Closing the file, Gibbs stood up. "Have no idea, McGee. I'll stop by her place on my way home later." Walking through the bullpen, he made for the stairs that led up to MTAC. "Been a long day. You can finish your reports tomorrow. Go home."

At the top of the stairs, Gibbs leaned against the railing, his mind trying to figure out what was going on with Abby. First his confrontation with her this morning and now this report from Tim. It was concerning for a couple of reasons. He knew how much Abby loved Christmas and for her to completely undo the season, she had to be terribly upset.

But another concern for Gibbs was that he had hoped, even planned, for this Christmas to be extra special for Abby and himself. He was more than ready to take their friendship to the next level and Christmas was the perfect time of the year. The season and the joy and maybe even a sprig of mistletoe would help him find a way to tell her how he really felt. But if Abby was being bullheaded about Corporal Canton's innocence, then he might not be able to approach her at all regarding their relationship.

Somehow, Gibbs knew he had to get Abby back into the spirit of Christmas.

Later that night…

Abby flopped down on her couch, exhausted from removing all the Christmas decorations from her apartment. The final item, her Christmas tree, she had drug down two flights of stairs and out the door to let it lay at the curb. It was a perfectly good tree and she was quite certain that within a couple of hours, someone would see it as a free gift and take it home. But as far as she was concerned, there wasn't going to be a holiday to celebrate.

Seeing that she needed to sweep the floor where the tree had stood, she went to get the broom when there was a knock on her door. Looking through the peephole, she saw the one man she was more than happy to let in because she was ready once again to give him a piece of her mind.

She pulled the door open wide. "Glad you're here, Gibbs," she said, standing aside and motioning him in.

Walking all the way into the living room, his eyes swept around the small apartment, noticing not one Christmas decoration adorned the entire place. "Didn't take you long to get rid of your holiday cheer," he commented, noticing an empty corner with pine needles on the floor. He couldn't believe what he was seeing and knew that whatever was going on must be serious.

In the kitchen, Abby had pulled out her broom and approached the vacant corner where her Christmas tree had stood just moments ago. "Were you watching me the last three hours? Because that's how long it took," she answered, starting to sweep up the pine needles.

"McGee told me what you'd done to your lab and I saw it for myself before I left work," he stated, watching her. "And now your apartment, too. What's going on, Abby? Did Santa Claus die?"

With the last of the needles swept into the dustpan, she stood and glared at him, watching a small grin slowly slide from his face. "You think this is funny?"

He didn't respond and watched her empty the dustpan into the trash and stow her broom away.

"I love Christmas almost as much as when I was a kid," she said, approaching him again. "But Chrissy, Logan, and Carter aren't happy children this year, so neither am I." She folded her arms across her chest with a pout on her face.

Gibbs' eyes dropped to the floor then up again. "Their mother is the one messing up those kids' holiday. Why are you letting that family do this to you?"

"Their mother did nothing wrong. I proved that."

Gibbs paused and narrowed his eyes. "She didn't commit the murder, but she was involved. She did mess up."

Abby felt her anger rising. She should have known that Gibbs was going to be stubborn. "Do you really know how she was involved? Maybe she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"I'm a trained investigator. The evidence we found…"

"I analyzed that evidence," Abby cut him off. "You just can't admit that maybe you screwed up."

Clamping down on his rising emotions, Gibbs stepped towards her and gently grasped her upper arms, looking directly into her eyes. "If I screwed up, I promise you that I will get Corporal Canton out of jail before Christmas. But I don't think that's going to happen. I'm sorry, Abbs."

Shrugging off his grip, Abby busied herself with straightening up the living room. "I know that's not going to happen, it's too late." Punching a small pillow on the couch, she swung towards Gibbs again. "The courthouse is closed tomorrow. There's no way you can get her released."

"I'm not saying she should be released."

"Not even to spend Christmas with her kids? How can you be so heartless?"

Gibbs felt the sting of her words to the center of his gut, and he knew he'd better leave before their discussion got out of hand. "You're getting way too involved in this, Abby," he said, reaching for the door knob.

Her next statement felt like a punch to his gut when she said, "I won't be spending Christmas Eve with you this year, Gibbs. There's no reason to."

With the door open, he turned to look at her and could see the sadness written all over her face. For the past several years Abby had always spent the night before Christmas at his house, where they would share the cooking of a homemade dinner and exchange gifts. It bothered him that Abby was giving up everything about this holiday that she loved. But at this moment he had no words to express his feelings and with a mild shake of his head, he turned and left.

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To be continued...

**A/N:** Please leave a review!


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Thank you for all the wonderful reviews! And thank you to everyone who favorited and are following this story. You all make my day so much brighter!

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Christmas Eve Day at the NCIS offices was slow with work. All employees were required to be present until noon then they were officially on vacation until the following week. There would be a team of special agents and other personnel on call in the event that a case came up, but this year it didn't involve Gibbs' team. Abby, however, was one of the employees that was on standby through the holiday and this year, she was glad of it. She'd rather be working than sitting alone at home, feeling glum because of the injustice surrounding their current case.

By mid-morning, her lab was clean and Major MassSpec was running some tests that would take a few more hours. Hopefully the results would prove without a doubt that Corporal Canton was entirely innocent, but by then it would be too late for her release to be processed through the legal system. Abby knew she had done everything in her power to help the Cantons, but what hurt her the most was that Gibbs had disappointed her. She couldn't believe how stubborn he was being, especially with children involved.

Taking the elevator up to the bullpen, Abby couldn't get out of the building fast enough when unexpectedly, she encountered a group of agents celebrating, passing the time until they were officially off duty. Walking along the far wall to get past her co-workers, she called the elevator that would take her to the lobby and a quick exit. But as the elevator doors opened, Special Agent Tony DiNozzo was pushed out and nearly into her arms. The elevator was full and more employees joyfully shuffled past him to join the impromptu party that was growing on the third floor.

To keep from completely bowling Abby over, Tony wrapped his arms around her and stumbled a couple of feet before catching his balance. When he drew back, he finally saw the sadness on Abby's face. "Hey, why so gloomy, Abbs? Turn that frown upside down," he enthused.

Looking over the Santa hat sitting askew upon his head and the Christmassy tie with blinking lights around his neck, Abby still couldn't feel the holiday spirit. "Can you let Gibbs know that I'm leaving for now? Some tests are running and the other lab tech will record the results."

Taking her elbow, Tony guided her away from the noisy group of celebrants. "Hey, listen, I know you're upset about Corporal Canton spending Christmas in jail, but don't let it ruin your whole holiday. Johnson's team is still working on the case and if she's lucky, she'll be home in a couple days."

"Not good enough, Tony."

"I know, but maybe if you go see the kids and see how excited they really are about Christmas, then you'll feel better. They still have their dad, you know."

A small smile crept onto Abby's face and she leaned up, giving Tony a kiss on the cheek. "You just gave me an idea. Merry Christmas and enjoy your vacation in New York." Catching the elevator just as the doors opened again bearing more NCIS employees to the third floor, Abby rode down to the lobby all alone. Her mind whirled with excitement as she thought about what she could do for the Canton family.

Gibbs stepped out of the quiet atmosphere of MTAC to the laughter and noise coming from the bullpen below. Stopping at the railing, he looked down on the large group of employees that had gathered, celebrating a final few minutes before dispersing for the rest of the weekend. It was already noon and the work day was officially over so he knew it wouldn't take long for the building to empty out. But his team would remain until he personally gave them the okay to leave.

As the gathering slowly broke up and people left, Gibbs descended the stairs and went to his desk. He still wanted this Christmas to be extra special for him and Abby and he was already formulating a plan to give her a special Christmas surprise. But time was running short and he knew he couldn't do it all alone. So when his team finally gravitated back to their desks, waiting for his dismissal, he instead gave them each one more assignment.

"I know you all have plans for getting out of the city for the holiday," he began and they looked at him intently. "And you all know what's going on with Abby."

"What's on your mind, Boss?" Tony asked.

"I need your help so Abby isn't completely left out of Christmas."

McGee stood up from behind his desk. "I've got time before my dinner tonight with my mom and the Admiral."

"Me, too," Tony added. "New York isn't going anywhere. I'll take a later flight."

"Count me in," Ziva readily volunteered. "Even though I am not very good with the whole Christmassy stuff."

Gibbs couldn't help but smile at how his team was always willing to make sacrifices for one another. "You two guys," he said, pointing at Tony and Tim. "Redecorate Abby's apartment. Get a tree up and her decorations are probably still in her apartment in boxes."

"This is gonna be fun," Tony responded, grabbing his gear and heading for the elevator. "C'mon, McSlowpoke."

"I don't like that look in your eye, Tony," McGee stated as he hurried to keep up. "You know it's dangerous messing with Abby."

"You like to cook, Ziva?" Gibbs asked, turning towards his female agent. "How 'bout putting together a special meal for Abby tonight? Something that can be kept warm on the stove and maybe a salad kept in the fridge."

"That I can handle," she responded, slinging her bag over her shoulder. "Hold the elevator," she yelled as she ran after her co-workers.

Sitting down behind his desk, Gibbs smiled to himself at how easy it had been to get his team to help out. Now he had to concentrate on doing his part, which was going to be tough. He'd be extremely lucky if he was able to accomplish Abby's most important Christmas wish.

Later that afternoon…

Abby sat in the Canton living room, Baby Chrissy settled on her thigh, gurgling happily. Logan and Carter sat on the floor nearby with their eyes glued to the Christmas packages Abby had brought with her. The gifts sat near the base of the family's tree and the two boys kept inching closer and closer to the brightly wrapped boxes. Jim Canton, the children's father, sat in a chair opposite Abby.

"Have you been to visit Angie?" Mr. Canton asked, his mouth in a tight line.

Chrissy gripped Abby fingers tightly as she was bounced softly up and down. "I haven't had a chance to actually meet your wife, but I feel as though I know her." Abby smiled as the two boys leaned closer to the gifts. "I really wish she could be here with all of you. She doesn't deserve to be where she is."

"Why can't others see that?" Jim accused. "She's been away serving her country and the kids just want to see their mama for Christmas."

"I know. I'm really sorry, Mr. Canton." Abby didn't know what else she could say. These three beautiful children deserved a Christmas with their mother and father.

"Logan, no touching," Mr. Canton admonished as the boy reached out a hand towards one of the boxes.

"Oh… it's Christmas Eve," Abby said softly. "I wouldn't mind if they opened the gifts I brought."

The two boys looked intently and silently at their father. "Alright. Carter, why don't you hand them out," Jim gave in, giving his eldest son the honor.

Logan wiggled on his butt as Carter picked up the first wrapped gift and looked at the tag. "It's for you, Logan," he said with a smile, handing it to his little brother.

Grabbing the box, the three year old started tearing at the paper as Carter picked up a smaller package. "Chrissy," he smiled and stood up, walking over to his sister and handing it to Abby.

Logan almost had his present revealed by the time Carter saw that the next gift was for him and he started ripping at the bright wrapping. "Woweee!" Logan squealed as he saw a bright yellow dump truck. Picking it up, he carried it over to his father. "Ope… ope," he begged and Jim laughed as he opened the flaps on the box.

Chrissy was fingering the paper that covered her present as Abby watched Carter tear the paper from his box. "Oh… oh…" the young boy exclaimed.

"Do you know what that is?" Jim asked, looking up at his son.

"A boedozer."

"That's right," Abby agreed. "A bulldozer for pushing things. And Logan has a dump truck for carrying things. You can play together that way." She watched as Carter tried opening the box himself and Logan continued to wait somewhat patiently by his father's knee. "Logan, why don't you help me with Chrissy's gift until your dad gets that dump truck out of the box."

Running over to Abby, Logan leaned against her knee and talked to his baby sister. "Ope, Kissy. Ope," he told her.

Reaching out, Chrissy grabbed her brother's ear and Logan ducked out of her grasp, making her laugh.

Turning the package over, Abby said, "Where should we start?" Logan pointed at the paper corner.

"Can you open it there?"

With his small fingers, Logan was able to easily tear the paper and in no time it was all unwrapped. "Wowee," the young boy exclaimed again. "Ook, Kissy. Ducky." When his sister grabbed at the toy, Logan dropped it in Abby's lap and ran back to his dad, where the dump truck now sat on the floor. With both hands on the cab, he started pushing it around the room and making engine noises.

Walking over to Carter, Jim knelt down by his son. "Need some help?"

Abby switched her eyes back to Chrissy and set her present on the floor. It was a mother duck with three ducklings all attached in a row behind her. A string attached to the front let the child pull the toy, and the ducks would waddle and quack. Abby pulled the toy in a small circle, showing the little girl how it worked and immediately Chrissy was sliding out of Abby's lap and reaching for the string herself.

When Chrissy reached for Abby's hand, she slid to her knees and held the soft chubby fingers to help steady the child as she walked across the room, pulling the quacking ducks. Meanwhile, Carter started using his bulldozer for pushing the empty boxes and wrapping paper, and instantly, the living room was filled with activity and noises. When Chrissy got near her father, she held on to him instead, and Jim helped his daughter toddle back across the room.

"There's still another gift here," Abby observed, pointing at another box. "It's for Logan and Carter together." Both boys' heads lifted and looked at Abby. "Wonder what this could be?"

As they ran over, she backed away and laughed as the boys tore at the paper together, making quick work of the job. It was a plain brown box and Logan began to turn away until Carter lifted the cover. "Look, Logan!" The young boy peered over the lid. "Wood blocks," Carter said, and picked one up, turning it over in his fingers.

"You can put them in your dump truck and push them with your bulldozer," Abby explained and instantly Carter dumped all the blocks onto the floor and Logan zoomed over with his truck. The imaginations of the boys soon had them setting up piles and loads and playing together. At one point, Logan even gave Chrissy's ducks a ride in his dump truck that had the little girl squealing and trying to keep up.

The time flew by as Abby played with the Canton children and watched them enjoy their gifts. So she was surprised when she looked at the clock and saw that it was already 1800 hours. Definitely time for her to head home. Saying good bye to the children and getting hugs and wet kisses in return, she shook Jim Canton's hand and wished them all a Merry Christmas.

As Jim closed the door behind her, Abby noticed that it was snowing heavily and the ground was already covered in a blanket of white. The Canton children had put some Christmas spirit back into her heart and now she felt a little disappointed that she had undecorated her apartment. But the fact was that Corporal Angela Canton would still spend Christmas in jail.

Walking down the sidewalk towards her car, she smiled as she thought back on all the fun she had with Carter, Logan, and Chrissy. A woman carrying bags full of gifts in both hands passed by and they smiled and said Merry Christmas to one another. Abby then stopped and turned, looking at the woman's back. "Corporal Canton?" she asked hesitantly and the woman turned. "Are you Corporal Canton?"

"Yes. Do we know each other?"

"Not really," Abby said, stepping closer. "I was just visiting with your family. I'm Abby Sciuto. I work at NCIS."

Angela smiled. "With Special Agent Gibbs?"

"You know Agent Gibbs?"

"He got me released so I can be with my kids and husband."

"He did?" Abby asked, shocked.

"He's a nice man… and good looking," she winked.

Feeling no reservations, Abby wrapped her arms around the Corporal. "I'm so glad your home. Your family will be thrilled." Releasing the woman, Abby bounced on her toes excitedly. "Quit standing here! Go!"

Abby watched Angela Canton spin around and run the rest of the way to her house, the door pushed shut behind her. Driving through the snow to her apartment, Abby knew she had to go see Gibbs tonight. They always spent Christmas Eve together and this year it was more important than ever. Gibbs had sacrificed and given all he could to get Corporal Canton released and Abby needed to show him just how grateful she was. He hadn't disappointed her and she couldn't wait to give him a huge hug and kiss. Her insides tingled as she imagined what that kiss might be like if they were under a mistletoe.

So, pulling into her parking space behind her building, she hustled up the two flights of stairs, planning on grabbing what they would need to make a spaghetti dinner. Plus she needed to find the gift she had gotten for him. She had bought everyone gifts, delivering all of them to their homes earlier in the day. But she had somehow overlooked packing the one for Gibbs, and now she was glad she had.

Hurriedly pushing through her apartment door, she stopped dead in her tracks at seeing strings of bright Christmas lights looped across her ceiling. There was a decorated tree in the corner and very soft Christmas music playing. Her nose detected a delicious aroma and as she stepped into the kitchen, her breath caught in her chest at the sight of Gibbs standing at her stove wearing her Christmas apron and a red Santa hat. The kitchen definitely couldn't get any hotter.

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To be continued...

**A/N:** Please leave a review!


	3. Chapter 3

"Just in time," he said, looking at her with bright blue eyes.

With just a few steps and her eyes glancing at the ceiling, she pulled on his arm so he faced her. That red hat looked amazing with his silver hair and damn there not being any mistletoe. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she squeezed tightly and felt his strong arms wrap low around her waist, holding her close. Even though she still wore her coat and scarf, she felt the heat of Gibbs' body seeping in along with his warm breath against her neck. "Thank you," she whispered against his cheek. "Best Christmas present ever." As she pulled back, she pressed a lingering solid kiss against his cheek, feeling the prickles of stubble upon her lips.

When she finally released him, Gibbs started unbuttoning her coat. "I can't take all the credit," he began. "Tony and Tim did the decorating and Ziva made this great meal."

Before he could slip the coat from her shoulders, she pressed a finger to his lips. "Not that," she whispered. "Getting Corporal Canton home for Christmas." Gibbs raised a questioning eyebrow. "I ran in to her outside her home. I was visiting her children."

Taking a moment to think about what she'd done, he removed her coat and hung it by the door. "You don't think that could compromise you analyzing the evidence in this case?" he asked, returning and pulling out her chair at the table.

"There is no evidence against Corporal Canton," she answered, settling on the seat. "I have a strong feeling that by the time we get back to work, Agent Johnson and his team will have closed the case and the Cantons will still be all together."

Pulling a salad from the refrigerator, Gibbs placed it on the table then set a pot of bubbling soup on a trivet nearby. "I hope you're right," he finally said, pouring them each a glass of white wine. "At least they're together for Christmas."

"This looks and smells delicious," Abby raved as she breathed in deeply from the soup pot. "Ziva made this? Looks like Chicken Gumbo Soup. I haven't had this in years. Hope it's spicy."

Taking the salad bowl after Abby had helped herself, Gibbs said, "Tell me about your visit with the kids."

So as they ate their salad, soup, and dinner rolls, Abby related her visit with Carter, Logan, and Chrissy. The tension that had been present over the past few days completely dissolved into laughter and stories from the past. When the meal was done, they cleaned up the kitchen together. Gibbs stood at the sink washing while Abby put the food away then dried.

She moved back and forth around him, grabbing a dish then turning and drying as she walked to where it went in a cupboard. Even though they did this cleaning task silently, Abby wasn't aware that Gibbs had moved behind her to grab more dishes off the table, so at one point when she took a step back, they made contact. The curve of her behind pressed into the zipper of his pants and instantly she felt a flame rush up her spine. If she'd been holding a dish, it would have dropped and shattered on the floor, but the only thing that fell from her hands was the towel.

Stepping around her, Gibbs mumbled something and Abby bent to snatch the cloth off the floor, giving it a good shake. Grabbing a large bowl from the drain rack, she pulled a chair closer to the cupboard and stepped up onto the seat as she dried it. Then standing on her tiptoes, she stretched her arm out until she could put the dish on a high shelf. At this point, she felt Gibbs' large hands upon her waist, steadying her as she completed her task.

Turning and facing him, she saw his dark blue eyes staring at her. Instead of letting go, he stepped closer and lifted her body against his, easing her down along his front. Abby's heart pounded in her chest as she anticipated what would happen next as they stood eye to eye, lips to lips. She began to close her eyes when Gibbs leaned in just a bit but then his heavy hands left her waist and suddenly he stepped back.

"You should have let me put that away," he said lowly, moving back to the sink.

The cold feeling of separation sunk deep into Abby chest and she heard the water drain from the sink. Walking into the living room, she stood in front of the tree, admiring the way Tony and Tim had decorated it. When she finally turned, Gibbs was sitting on the couch and for the first time, she noticed the mistletoe hanging high over his head. She wondered if he had noticed it and was sitting there on purpose.

Feeling lucky that Christmas had suddenly taken a happy turn and she was really sharing it with Gibbs, she hoped that things were changing between them. That their friendship was actually evolving into something stronger, deeper. Sitting on the edge of the cushion beside him, she looked at his handsome, yet solemn face. "You gonna tell me how you got Corporal Canton released?" she asked.

When his strong fingers reached out and gripped hers, she couldn't help the release of an audible gasp. "Some other time. It's a long story."

Abby felt the butterflies in her stomach as his thumb smoothed back and forth over her knuckles. "Yeah, I know how you hate long stories. But I can see you have something on your mind," she prodded.

"I do… just haven't figured out how to say it," he answered and lifted her hand to press against his lips.

Shifting on her seat, Abby fought the sudden urge to let her fingers drift through the short hair around his ear. "We could play charades," she suggested.

He smiled as he held her hand on his thigh. "Just the two of us?"

"Maybe if you give me some clues, I could guess what's on your mind," she responded.

Thinking this over for a couple of minutes, Gibbs eventually placed his hand against her side and tugged until he had pulled her onto his lap so that she was sitting back on his knees. "You gonna start guessing?" he teased.

Abby bit on her bottom lip, her mind whirling with the implications of what straddling Gibbs' hips could mean. "You have something personal to tell me?" she guessed.

He nodded then lifted his hands and started undoing the bows tied at the top of her pigtails. When he had the hair released, he spread it out upon her shoulders and smoothed his fingers through it. Then looking at Abby, he raised an eyebrow in question.

She took the hint. "You like my hair loose?" she asked and he nodded. God, how she wanted to hear his deep voice telling her these things. "What do you like about my hair?" she whispered as his fingertips brushed against her scalp.

"It's silky and soft. Smells good, too." Leaning forward he pressed his nose against her ear.

Abby shuddered. "What else do you want to tell me?" she asked in a shaky voice.

Drawing away and settling back against the couch, Gibbs' blue eyes slowly drifted over her face, his gaze eventually locking upon her mouth. With one fingertip, he traced the softness.

Abby wanted to nip at his finger or pull it into her mouth but he had her mesmerized and she couldn't move, let alone think. His touch was sensual and his eyes revealed dark heat. When his hand fell back to his lap, she couldn't help but raise her own finger and trace his soft lips in return. He smiled as she did this then began leaning closer and closer until her finger was the only thing between their mouths. Sliding her hand away along his cheek, there was only a fraction of open air between them.

"You want to kiss me?" she murmured.

"I wanna taste you."

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To be continued...

**A/N:** Please leave a review!


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** This is the last chapter. Thank you for all of your awesome reviews!

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Abby's eyelids fell half close as she felt his mouth press against hers ever so softly. They were barely kissing, but she reached out her tongue and brushed it against his lips. His mouth opened with a smile before he pressed in closer and her tongue instantly mingled with his and his tongue stroked against hers in response.

The weight of one of his hands ran up the length of her back and into her hair until he pinned her with his kiss, and Abby slid closer, feeling his hard chest press against her breasts. She trailed her fingers over his brow, cheeks, jaw, relishing the contact. She knew and felt that this was right. This was perfect.

When their mouths broke apart, Gibbs was breathing heavily, his forehead rested against hers. "Gonna guess again?" he puffed softly.

"Hhmmm?" Abby hummed, her mind not catching up with his words until a few seconds later. "No more charades. I think you said it all with that kiss."

"So you're okay with this?" he asked, still a bit doubtful.

"More than okay," she grinned. "It's about time, I'd say." Gibbs didn't say anything more but sat waiting and before Abby had another thought, she tugged the hem of her sweater up and over and off. She didn't know if it was the dark look in Gibbs' eyes or the chilled air that sent shivers across her skin.

At the sight of her nakedness, Gibbs stopped breathing, his blood pounding through his veins.

Taking his hand, Abby lifted and placed it high over her left breast. Slowly both of his hands moved up to caress her cheeks before moving down along her neck which made her arch into his touch. Gibbs felt her pulse beneath his thumbs, the soft skin of her shoulders, and the angles of her collarbones. Every place he touched, he wanted to explore further with his mouth and tongue.

Her eyes searched his face. "What are you feeling?"

"This feels right. Perfect. How I imagined."

A rising of emotions swelled in Abby's chest. He had imagined them being together. She had never thought that was possible, but hearing him say it created feelings that ran deeper than she'd ever felt. "So many times I've thought of you touching me like this," she murmured then moaned when he hugged her close.

Gibbs felt her round soft curves press against his shirt and he buried his face in her hair, inhaling her strawberry shampoo. Brushing her hair back from her neck, he dropped his lips to the strong curve, his tongue tracing a path from her ear to her mouth. Her full swollen lips opened for him as he pressed his mouth to hers and took her breath away in a long open-mouth wet kiss. He heard her whimper as she pulled on his shoulders, trying to get closer.

His fingertips traced the dark satin of her bra, grazing the hard nipples beneath the fabric. Leaning over, he pressed his lips to the valley of her soft breasts and felt her heart beating wildly. Then he reached around and unclasped her bra, pulling it from her body.

His hand lifted her breasts like delicate glass baubles on the Christmas tree and Abby wanted to throw her head back and moan with pleasure but she couldn't pull her eyes away from his touch. Gibbs rolled the peaked nipples between his fingertips as he lowered his mouth to kiss the soft mounds.

Abby felt a fire spread low into her belly as his fingers squeezed and stroked harder and his mouth nearly devoured one breast then the other.

"Gibbsss," she whimpered and he lifted his head, their eyes connecting.

Reaching out, she undid the two buttons on his polo shirt, revealing the silver hair that wasn't hidden behind a white t-shirt this time. Her hands rested upon his chest and she felt the heat and pounding of his heart which left her breathless. Sliding her hands under the material, she pulled his shirt up and over his head, exposing his bare skin, chest, muscles.

Needing to feel his nakedness against her own, she slid forward, spreading her legs wider, and felt the hot center of his lap. They both moaned at this first intimate contact.

Gibbs' hands moved to undo the button to her jeans and she slowly stood, extending her hand out to him. Pulling him off the couch, she led him to her bedroom and as they stood beside the bed, she undressed him and began to run her tongue and fingers over his heated skin. She wanted to taste and feel every curve of every muscle.

Eventually when he could no longer stay passive, Gibbs stripped off Abby's clothes, laid on the bed, and pulled her down on top of him. He kissed her deeply, his tongue pushing into her mouth, probing, claiming. Abby's hands ran through his hair, down his neck, and over his chest. His blood pounded with heat and desire and he had to flip them over. He needed to be in control.

Pressing his mouth to her neck, she arched into him as he sucked and licked and drove their passion higher. Then his hands cupped her breasts and he tilted a hard pink tip into his mouth, nipping and licking as he teased and pulled the other one with his fingers. A low constant moan rolled from Abby's throat and he pulled back, wanting to know how she looked cause of what he was doing to her.

Her green eyes were dark pools, glazed and unfocused. Her head was pressed back into the pillow with her raven hair fanned against the white pillowcase.

When her vision cleared, she saw him smiling down at her and she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulled him down, and kissed the delicious smile from his face as she nipped, licked, and tasted every corner of his mouth.

Gibbs shifted to rest his weight on his forearms and Abby felt his hard, hot length press against her hip. Eagerly, she reached to caress him, running her hand up and down, squeezing him gently before pulling him towards her.

Shifting once again, Gibbs slid over her heated skin until his cock rubbed against her slick folds and slowly he entered her welcoming core. The entire time, his eyes never left her face as he watched her lips tremble and a gasp catch in her throat. He could hardly believe the pure pleasure that infused the green depths of her eyes.

Slowly he withdrew and pushed forward again.

Abby felt him stretch her and she relaxed so that her body could take him inside. He filled her completely as he inched deeper and deeper, and she wrapped her strong legs around his hips, holding him so tightly that he could hardly withdraw. Then he slid his hands under her ass and drove deeper, pulling a whimpering cry of pleasure from her throat seconds before his lips crashed to hers and his tongue matched his thrusts. Abby felt her pleasure building, her heat pooling but then he slowed and stopped.

Rising up on his forearms, he once again looked down on her, his hand brushing the damp hair from her forehead. His voice was a deep whisper. "I want to make love to you all night."

Abby hummed with pleasure, thinking there was no way she could form any words at this point. But he continued to wait and she had to murmur, "Do you have a plan?"

"Patience," he responded with a tilted grin, and before Abby could continue to hold him to her, he withdrew completely and fell to his side.

Her body reacted immediately to the loss of his heat, his fullness. "Are you trying to kill me?" she asked in exasperation.

But before she finished her question, his large warm hands were exploring her skin, cupping her breasts, teasing her nipples. Abby arched into the hot kisses that he ran up and down her neck as she felt one of his hands move lower, across her tense stomach, and down to her fiery center.

His long fingers stroked back and forth, in and out of her depths, building a fire inside her that threatened to explode. And God, yes, she wanted it to explode!

Gibbs' mouth continued to nip and kiss up and down her neck, across her shoulder before devouring her breasts. Then she pulled his head up and they locked into a deep kiss as the inferno inside her grew out of control. His fingers vibrated against her clit and she covered his hand with her own, feeling the strength of his movements.

Then the inferno blazed and exploded and she came hard. His name ripped from her throat as her body strained against his hand and mouth and he moved with her until she became heavy and still.

"Oh, God, Gibbs," she panted, trying to catch her breath. "That was amazing."

"I'm not trying to kill ya, Abbs. Maybe just weaken you a bit," he mumbled against her shoulder.

"Weaken?" she challenged back. "We'll see who's weak."

Roughly she pushed him onto his back and jumped on top of him, straddling his thighs. With a mischievous grin she ran her hands over him, teasing his nipples and pressing her fingertips into the ridges of his stomach. Her hands smoothed up over his contoured chest then down, down to his hard straining cock.

This area of his body was a playground for Abby's fingers as she stroked his length and rubbed drops of pre-cum over the silky surface. Gibbs' hands gripped the sheet as he fought to maintain control and Abby loved it each time he moaned and shook with desire. She was amazed by how long he let her toy with him, several times thinking that he just wouldn't be able to hold out any longer. Her teeth grazed his rough jaw, her mouth sucked his pulse point, and she kissed him hungrily all the while her hands stroked him harder and hotter.

Just before he felt himself ready to explode, Gibbs rolled Abby onto her back and swiftly entered her, pressing his length in all the way. Her inner walls gripped him tightly and he buried his face in her hair, grasping for one last inch of restraint.

But then Abby raised her hips, drawing him in even deeper, and he began to thrust.

In and out. Harder and harder.

Abby felt herself coming to the edge again and this time Gibbs was right there with her. Together they rocketed into their climaxes, releasing screams and groans, whimpers and growls. And as the wave of ecstasy rolled into the distance, they continued to hold one another tight, their passion sated for a little while.

Before shifting onto his side, Gibbs planted a soft kiss to Abby's lips then pulled her against him, their legs twined together. Her fingers swirled through the hair on his chest as his hand roamed up and down her spine.

After several moments of silence, Gibbs lifted his head, looking down at Abby. Her eyes were closed, her face flushed, her lips curled into a tiny smile. "You're quiet," he observed, resting his head back on the pillow.

Abby giggled softly against his chest. "Best Christmas ever," she responded softly before rising up on her elbow to look at his face. Her fingertip trailed along his jaw and over his closed lips. "I don't want or need anything more. Just you, Gibbs."

Grasping her hand, he nipped at her finger. "You've got me," he husked softly. "My heart and everything else."

The End.

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**A/N:** Please leave a review!


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